When Goguryeo opened its mountain gates to trade, the rivers filled with boats heavy with goods.
Horsemen carried furs to border markets where nomads brought horses and envoys from China offered silk.
One treasure became the most prized of allβKorean ginseng.
Shaped like a tiny person, the ginseng root carried the forestβs strength and the scent of the earth itself.
People believed it restored health, brought vitality, and even extended life.
Chinese nobles valued it so much that they traded gold and silk for it.
The Goguryeo people even wrote a poem about their beloved root, weaving its quiet strength into their songs and stories.
With ginseng and fur flowing outward, and silk and books flowing in, Goguryeo thrivedβits markets alive, its forges blazing, its spirit renewed.
Once wounded, the kingdom now stood tall, its roots deep and unshaken.
Original Poem
Three forks, five leaves,
(δΈζ€δΊθ)
Turning from sun to shade.
(θι½ει°)
If you wish to seek me,
(欲δΎζ±ζ)
Look beneath the jujube tree.
(εζ¨ΉηΈε°)
New Lyrics
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Fog drifts low through silent pines,
Foxes stir where dawnlight shines.
Roots entwine where rivers start,
Whispering life from the mountainβs heart.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Root of the mountain, child of stone,
Drinking mist where no manβs gone.
Hidden deep where tigers tread,
Dreaming under pine-tree bed.
Night descends with silver hue,
Owls call out and fade from view.
Still I sleep through storm and frost,
In silence rich, yet never lost.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Rain on rock, and snow on moss,
Years pass slow, no moment lost.
Hands of healers find my face,
Lift me softly from my place.
Steamed in pots, dried in sun,
Gift of earth to everyone.
Carried far by boat and steed,
For kings who thirst, for hearts in need.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Sailors hum as sails unfold,
River turns its threads of gold.
Monks recite beneath the pine,
Blessing each root as a sacred sign.
Markets gleam with distant lands,
Ink and scrolls in merchantsβ hands.
Songs of ginseng cross the plain,
Echoes carried home again.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Silk for roots, gold for trade,
Voices ring through hill and glade.
Banners flutter, horses neigh,
Rivers sing along the way.
From mountain heart our fortune flows,
From forest depths our courage grows.
Once we bled, now we stand tall,
Ginsengβs power runs through all.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Hammers ring and towers climb,
Bells of iron mark the time.
Through each soul the root still gleams,
Binding earth to ancient dreams.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.
Though kingdoms fall and rivers turn,
Still in the soil my heart will burn.
Three forks, five leaves,
Turning from sun to shade.
If you wish to seek me,
Look beneath the jujube tree.